About the Authors

Joe Chan

Joe joined Richards Buell Sutton LLP in 2006. He is a member of the firm’s Craft Breweries and Distilleries, Corporate & Commercial Transactions and Securities, and Asia Pacific practice groups, with an emphasis on securities and corporate finance work.

Joe has assisted a wide array of clients, including owner-operated businesses, as well as mining, oil and gas, “Clean tech”, and real estate companies, and has expertise in a broad range of transactions, including IPO’s and other equity financings, debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, reverse takeovers, plans of arrangements and other corporate restructurings, mining transactions and advising on other corporate/commercial and securities law related matters.

Aneez Devji

Aneez first joined Richards Buell Sutton LLP as an articled student in 2011 and remains with the firm as an associate in the Commercial Real Estate Department, with a focus on the firm’s development and lending groups.

Aneez’s practice includes assisting clients in the acquisition, development and sale of commercial and residential real estate, acting for landlords and tenants in the review, negotiation and drafting of commercial leases, and drafting and negotiating commercial and residential real estate contracts.

During Law School at UBC, Aneez volunteered with the Law Students Legal Advice Program and performed in the Law Revue. He also worked as a Research Assistant to Professor Bruce MacDougall. Prior to UBC, Aneez graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Simon Fraser University.

Carlos Mendes

Carlos joined Richards Buell Sutton LLP in 2014 and is a member of the Craft Breweries and Distilleries and Commercial Real Estate Groups.

Carlos is British Columbia counsel to a large Canadian craft brewery, and has advised clients ranging in size from nano breweries to macro breweries on all aspects of starting and running a commercial brewery. From ensuring compliance with the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch’s ‘Licensing Policy Manual’ and assisting with the Manufacturer License application process, to distribution, leasing, business structuring, financing, intellectual property and trademarks, employment agreements, and municipal permits and licensing, Carlos has every aspect of the brewery start-up process covered. Carlos also assists established breweries with a variety of day-to-day and ongoing operational matters.

A long-time craft beer writer and advocate, Carlos is passionate about craft beer and the culture that surrounds it, and his thorough understanding of BC’s craft beer industry allows him to provide his clients with creative, timely, and cost-effective legal services.